16An Evening Rendezvous
If you attend Easton High like I do, you'll know of the jinx that's been in existence since the school was built. They say that if you take this personality quiz on the school website, you'll end up with whomever you're paired up with and be happily together forever.
That is, of course, in my opinion, completely and without a doubt, a load of bullshit.
Obviously the rumors have circulated to receive publicity from those who are gullible enough to actually take the quiz. You see, Student Council came up with the strangest fundraiser ever. Pay 5, and you're allowed to take the personality quiz. Once you're matched up with someone, you are to meet your significant other at a meeting place for a blind date. It supposedly never fails.
Unfortunately, I am among the poor souls who were forced against their will to take this stupid quiz. I'm not dumb enough to believe this system actually works. Sure, there have been cases and instances where this has actually worked. My own parents once went to this school and took the quiz in their senior years. They met and eventually fell in love this way.
This is obviously a cheap imitation of a dating service that's managed to succeed on occasion. My friends apparently don't think so. They fell for the rumors hook, line, and sinker.
"Now?" I asked Janice exasperatedly. She had dragged me over to her laptop, only to force me into taking the famous Easton High quiz.
"Yes, now!" She answered impatiently.
I glanced at the computer screen before wincing. "Now?" I asked again.
"Look, Kylie, just CLICK THE DAMN SUBMIT BUTTON!" Her voice rose.
"Do I have to?" I whined.
I swear, sometimes it's just too funny to see my best friend blow up like this. But, of course, even I know when I'm going too far. I clicked 'Submit', before sighing and turning to her.
She immediately perked up and smiled like she had never lost her temper. "Now was that so hard?"
"Yes."
"Come on Kylie, all you had to do was take the quiz! I said I'd pay for you, didn't I?"
"Yes, but when you owed me five bucks, I kind of expected to be given the cash instead of being forced to take a quiz that isn't even worth five dollars." I glanced at the laptop one last time being sighing. "It's a shame, really, to waste it on something like this. It doesn't even work."
"Don't say this again. Didn't you say your parents met through this quiz?"
"Yes but that was just a coincidence. They already knew each other before this ever started and this thing just gave them a small push towards each other. Besides, what if I get paired up with some creepy person that hasn't showered in weeks and I have to spend an entire day with them? I'd be scarred for life!" I shuddered.
Janice rolled her eyes. "You always think of the worst possible things. Look, you're an attractive girl who made normal, sane choices on the quiz. It's more likely that you'll be paired up with someone hot than not." She giggled.
"I do not think of the worst possible situation! The worst scenario would be that I'd be paired up with a psycho that's escaped out of a mental rehabilitation center, only to disguise themselves as a high school student, and then, during our date, they'd lose control of their sanity before going on a killing rampage, taking my life in the process. And then wouldn't you feel guilty about making me take the test, dear Janice?" I widened my eyes enough so that they looked pleading.
Okay, maybe I have a bit of an overactive imagination…..but that doesn't mean she should just abandon me in my time of need! I so need to get a new best friend before the day's over.
The act didn't seem to work on her, however. (Maybe I need to work on my puppy-dog eyes) Instead, she just rolled her eyes again before saying, "You'll be fine, Kylie. And-oooh! Your results are in!" She turned eagerly to the computer screen.
"Do I really have to go on this date?" I felt my voice turning into a whine.
"Look, Kylie, you haven't been on a date since last year. You need a boyfriend! And if this test is going to get you to start dating again, then so be it!"
"My last date was a creep!" I protested. "He ended up proposing to me before the salad arrived! I barely made it out of there!"
"Look, Kylie, your results are here!" She dragged me over to her desk.
I don't want to look. This quiz is going to practically seal my fate. I can't back out anymore. Oh, please no….
I slowly opened my eyes. The words on the screen said, "In front of stairway by cafeteria, black T-shirt that says "Life or Death", dark blue skinny jeans."
I opened my mouth silently, the closed it. "What the hell is this supposed to be?!" I shrieked.
She shook her head. "This is the place where you'll meet him after school on Friday, and that's what he'll be wearing."
"How do you know that's exactly what he'll be wearing?" I asked in a slightly accusatory tone. "Do they stalk him or something? Ha, I knew there was something with this program! They stalk their customers to see what they'll be wearing! What if they're watching us right now?" I glanced quickly around me, just for good measure.
Janice sighed. "Before the meeting, they dress you up in the outfit they told your partner you would wear before setting you up. It's sort of fun, actually."
I turned toward her suspiciously. "How do you know so much about this, Janice?"
She blushed. "Well, did I ever tell you how Andy and I met?"
I groaned inwardly. I didn't like where this was going. Andy was her current boyfriend, and who she was completely and utterly in love with.
"Well, I met him through this service."
I groaned out loud this time. "Janice-"
"I'm sorry, but I knew you wouldn't approve!"
"Of course I wouldn't, you met your boyfriend through a dating service, why would I approve?"
"Look, it worked out, didn't it? Now could you please just accept it and move on? Your date's tomorrow!"
"NO!" I crossed my arms like a small stubborn child who didn't get its way.
Janice sighed. "I'm going to get you to come no matter what, so might as well look decent doing it."
I sat down stubbornly. "Well, you're just going to have to make me look stupid then."
Little did I know that I'd be regretting those words later.
I blew my dark bangs out of my eyes impatiently. Janice glanced around us, waiting for the people in charge of me to come. Every now and then she would glance back at me, making sure that I wouldn't bolt for the door.
"You know you can stop watching me like a dog," I said irritably. "I'm not going to go anywhere. You're my ride home!"
"Just making sure you're not going to run off like before," she answered smoothly, watching the hallway.
It turns out that when she came over to my house this morning to pick me up, I had refused to come. Then my so-called best friend had to drag me into school campus, kicking and screaming the entire time. So much for looking decent. Who knew Janice was so strong?
Eventually I saw three girls walking our way. They strutted down the hallway, smiling (to me right now, it looked like they were leering) reassuringly at me. I fidgeted, only to earn a reproving glance from Janice.
"Alright, which one of you is Kylie?" One of the girls, a brunette, asked us.
I very reluctantly raised a hand. Janice, on the other hand, just smiled at us.
"Have fun guys," she called before walking off down the hallway. She's actually leaving me? No, Janice!
"Now….." The three girls turned toward me. From this position, I actually feel kind of intimidated, with their freaky grins and all…
This so doesn't look good.
"This looks so cute on you!" The brunette, who I later found out was a girl named Andrea, squealed. She gave me the once-over before approving and then applying makeup on my face.
The blond, a girl named Erica, pushed me in front of the mirror so I could see myself. I looked blankly at my reflection.
"I look the same," I stated bluntly.
I could practically hear their mouths drop. "Are you kidding?!" The third girl, Lynn, exclaimed. "You're wearing a completely different outfit, and your hair's all done and everything!"
I looked back at myself. Oh, so there it is! I was wearing a casual baby blue T-shirt and a black miniskirt that ended just before the knees. I also wore a cute jean jacket. My black hair was in waves, ending down at the middle of my back. The makeup emphasized my pale green eyes, making it stand out.
Erica checked her pink watch before whispering into Lynn's ear and practically dragging me outside. "Time for your date!" She chirped.
I widened my eyes, and dug my heels in the ground frantically but to no avail. Seriously people, why is everyone stronger than me? Okay, so maybe I don't lift 200-lb dumbbells like those buff dudes you see in the movies. That doesn't mean I'm that weak compared to the rest of the American population, am I? Don't answer that.
"Good luck!" Andrea called before leaving me at the top of the stairs and disappearing completely.
Well, this is it. The hallway was completely empty by now, except for Student Council being held somewhere on the other side of the building. I couldn't help but think that if this was an old Western film, tumbleweeds would be rolling in the background.
"Forget this!" I exclaimed to myself before walking down the stairs as fast as I could while wearing heels. And very cute heels at that. I've got to ask them where they get these clothes later on…
Oomph. I cried out, because I had crashed into something, or someone, and before I knew it, being the uncoordinated person I was, tumbled down the stairs with the person I crashed into in tow.
"Oww," I groaned from where I was lying on my side. This felt different from the floor, actually…
Okay. This was incredibly awkward. Apparently both of us fell down the stairs and ended in a heap on the floor. And I say this is uncomfortable because our arms and legs were tangled and I couldn't tell anymore which arm was mine and which one was the other person's.
I groaned again, before, umm, untangling myself from the person, and bending down to look at the guy.
He was actually pretty attractive, I thought distractedly, checking to make sure he was alright. His eyes were closed, so I couldn't see him, but I could see that he had (sort of) shaggy black hair that covered his forehead. He was wearing a black T-shirt that read, in bold white letters "Life or Death…..Make your Choice" and tight black jeans. If he was standing right now, I'd be a head shorter than him.
Oh, shit.
And this was how I came to the conclusion that this poor soul was my blind date. And…
Oh no. SHIT!
On closer inspection, I found out that the guy was Nate Adams. I'm guessing right now you're asking, "Who?" Nate was someone I knew casually, or sort-of-well. To be more specific, he was my cousin's best friend's hairdresser's doctor's nephew's sister's ex-boyfriend's lab partner's cousin.
Okay, so maybe I didn't know him that well. To sum it all up, he was the guy that sat next to me in Calculus. He's an easy going person who breezes through life with a lazy grin on his face. And somehow he manages to maintain a 3.9 GPA. Nate and I weren't anything near best friends or anything like that. We'd talk and pass notes and stuff, but we weren't that close.
Were we?
That isn't very important right now, though. The important thing is that he's unconscious! Is the nurse still there?
"Nurse?" I cried frantically. "NURSE?!"
Eventually my cries attracted attention from teachers, students who were still here, and finally, the nurse. By then I was nearly hysterical, and I was taken to the nurse's office to lay my head down and rest.
"Now you just lay your pretty little head down and rest dear," the nurse (I can't remember her name) said soothingly. I reluctantly did as she said, and eventually drifted off to sleep.
"Kylie? Yoo-hoo! Kylie?"
I didn't answer. I didn't want to wake up; it felt to comfortable right now.
"KYLIE!"
Angrily, my eyes opened. "WHAT THE-"A hand shot up to cover my mouth. My eyes were open wide by now in shocked surprise. Nate's face had been a mere three inches from mine, peering at it curiously. At that moment I realized that his eyes were an incredible shade of amber right now, seeming to glow in the glow of the sun. I jerked my head back quickly, embarrassed that I had been staring.
Nate shook his head. "Shhh." He said, covering my lips with one long finger. "We can't disturb anyone right now. The nurse is out, and everyone's already gone home."
I blushed. "She actually left us alone in this place?!"
"Apparently."
I shook my head to clear it of drowsiness, "Oh yeah." I said. "How does it feel after blacking out?"
Nate smiled ruefully. "I'm feeling better now," he answered. "My head felt like it was throbbing when I woke up. But I'm all better now."
I nodded absentmindedly. Then I noticed that I was still dressed to go out. "Our date!" I exclaimed. "I totally forgot about that!"
His grin became even wider. "Yes!" He yelled. "YES!" Then after noticing that I was still there, "No offense, it's just that my friend forced me into this thing and I'm not exactly very enthusiastic about it."
I grinned at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. I didn't want to go either. The truth is, my friend Janice made me go along with this stupid thing. I'm more into meeting people naturally, not by being paired up according to Student Council's opinions."
He just grinned at me even more, and said, "Well then, since you want to meet people the natural way, I'm feeling in the mood for watching a movie, you in?"
I gaped at him. "Did you just ask me out?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, what about it?"
"Right after we both agreed that we were glad we didn't go on that date?"
Nate quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a no?"
"No, but-"
"So it's a yes?"
"Yeah, but-"
"YES!" He pumped a fist in the air, and dragged me off, saying as we went, "Come on, there's a movie that I want to see, which comes out today….." While ignoring my protests the entire time.
"That….was…..so…SCARY!" I shrieked, shuddering as I stumbled out the movie theater.
Nate laughed. "Really? It wasn't that bad….was it?"
"Says the guy who laughed at the bloody scenes!" I said shrilly. "Seriously, who does that?"
"I do," he answered playfully. "At least I wasn't the one closing her eyes the entire time and nearly cutting off the blood circulation in my arm. Seriously, who does that?"
The only answer he received was me smacking his arm. He gripped it teasingly and feigned a look of exaggerated pain.
"Oh, the pain!" He cried dramatically. "Save me, in my time of need, Kylie!"
I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. He grinned at me. "Hey, you laughed!" He exclaimed.
I frowned. "What about it?"
"I rarely see you laugh or smile like you mean it, for as long as I've known you! You should try it more though, you're pretty when you smile, Kylie!"
Somehow my mind chose at that moment to notice the strangest things. The wind was blowing Nate's black hair back, and the sun illuminated his amber eyes so that they appeared a bright shade of gold. Right now he was beaming like an eager child who has just found something precious and something it doesn't want to let go of, and, in an odd way, it was cute. He must have noticed me staring at him, because he looked at me confusedly. "Did I say something bad, Kylie?"
I felt my cheeks heating up. "Nothing," I said quickly. At that moment, I felt my cell phone vibrate. After checking the caller ID, I saw that it was from Janice. I looked up at Nate. "I have to take this," I explained to him. "Be right back."
I walked a small distance away from him, and pressed 'Accept'. "Hello?"
"Kylie! Where have you been? It's seven right now! I've been worried sick!"
I rolled my eyes, glad that she couldn't see me. Really though, even my own mom doesn't get worried at seven. "Look Janice, some things have come up, and I'm with Nate at the movies right now," I explained.
"Oooh, your blind date?"
"Yeah but, wait, how did you know about that?" I asked suspiciously.
"Who DOESN'T know about that? The whole school was there! It was so romantic Kylie, with Nate unconscious and you so worried about him! It was just like a scene from a movie," I could hear Janice sighing dreamily.
It was all I could do to keep from gagging. "Please, Janice, refrain from making my life sound like some cheesy chick flick."
"Alright….."
"Good."
"So do you like him?"
"WHAT?!"
"Do you like Nate?"
"I heard you the first time!" I couldn't stop the heat from creeping up my neck. I shivered, rubbing my arms. Somehow, on our way here, I had forgotten my jacket back at the nurse's office. But somehow, I don't think the shiver was because of the cold…..
"I don't know, Janice…"
"Ooh, so that's a yes?"
"That's an I-don't-know!" I snapped. I sighed, rubbing my temples irritably. "Look, I don't know anymore, okay?"
"Aww, someone's confused about her feelings…"
"Janice!" I exclaimed. I glanced at the giant clock hanging from one of the buildings. "Look, I got to go, okay? Nate's kind of waiting."
"Alright…tell me how the date went, okay?"
"Sure, alright, whatever. Bye." The phone clicked, and I shoved my cell into my purse before running towards Nate.
"Hey!" He grinned at me as I ran up to him, panting. "What do you say we go to the beach now?"
"Right now?" I asked incredulously. "This late?"
"The sun hasn't even set yet!" He protested. "So what about it?"
"Well, if you want to…."
"Great! Let's go then!"
We arrived at the beach just as the sun was about to set. The cool breeze made the air even cooler, I noticed, and shivered. Nate must have noticed, because he awkwardly (at least, it was awkward to me) draped an arm over my shoulder and drew me against his chest.
I blushed furiously. "Th-thanks." I stammered.
He smiled at me with amusement. "Let's watch the sunset over there." He pointed to a spot off by the water. I nodded, and we made our way their.
"So….." He said conversationally once we sat down.
"So." I echoed. Can you blame me for lacking conversational skills? This is one of the two reasons why I haven't gone on a date in a year (the other being the creep, of course).
"Hey, is there a Calculus test on Wednesday?" He asked suddenly.
I turned to him, confusion etched on my face. "Huh?"
The he burst out laughing. I stared at him, and then turned away. "I'd rather you not laugh at my expense," I said stiffly.
He wiped an imaginary tear. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "You just looked so cute there, I couldn't help but laugh."
My eyebrows furrowed. Did he just call me cute? This is getting way…too….confusing…
"And yeah, the Calculus test is on Wednesday." I glanced at him. Nate was facing the setting sun, focusing on the waves crashing on the shore. He peered at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Bummer," he replied. "Thompson's quizzes are killer."
"It's not that hard once you understand how to work it," I said. "I could even teach you, if you want."
He thought for a moment. "Could you?" He said at last.
"Hmmm?"
"Help me study, that is." He said hastily.
I opened my mouth, about to say that if he could have a 3.9 GPA, and since he was probably better than me in this class, he could figure it out on his own. But then I thought better of it. If it meant spending more time with him…..
"Sure," I replied.
"Great!" He exclaimed. "You know where I live, right? Come over there on Sunday."
"Mmhmm. I answered absentmindedly.
My heels were irritating me. They kept digging into my feet, hurting them. Finally I just took them off and threw them off to the side, feeling the nice feeling of the sand between my toes. Then I glanced up at the sky.
Right now I was too occupied watching the setting sun. The sky was an incredible mixture of red, orange, and yellow, surrounding the great big shining yellow sun, which was slowly disappearing. It would be a nice picture to paint, actually…
"Kylie?" Nate's voice asked me softly.
I turned to him, a soft smile on my face. "Hmm?"
It was at that moment that I noticed how close we were. Our legs were pressed together, his head a few inches from mine. His amber eyes were regarding me with something I couldn't distinguish.
"So do you like him?"
Janice's voice echoed in my head. I shivered, but not because of the wind. I think I know the answer to that question now…..
My eyes fluttered closed, and he closed the distance between our lips. My stomach fluttered, and around us, I was dimly aware of the sun vanishing finally and the night closing in around us. It was soft, and sweet, and quick, but right now, I actually wanted to stay there right now.
And all too soon he pulled away. His eyes were wide open. "I'm sorry Kylie!" He stammered. "I don't know what got into me, I'm sorry-"
"Shhh," I murmured softly, placing my finger on his lips. "Quiet."
And then I was kissing him again, wrapping my arms around his neck. I smiled against his lips, feeling the rush of emotion run through me again. Nate began kissing me back, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, and I vaguely felt myself being lifted in the air.
This time the kiss was warm and a bit more forceful, but it still sent my heart pounding, like the first time. My arms tightened around his neck, because I was still in the air. So he put me down on the ground again, and the kiss became a little more hot and forceful.
Eventually we broke away, both of us panting heavily. Both of our cheeks were flushed, and he was smiling widely.
"What was that for?" He asked breathlessly.
A soft smile was still on my face, and it didn't go away for a while. I thought for a moment before replying to him.
"Well, it's simple really."
His eyebrow quirked in that same cute manner. I paused, waiting for dramatic effect.
"I think I like you, Nate Adams."
He just grinned and wrapped me into a warm hug. "Really?" He whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my ear. I shivered, and nodded, flushed.
"Well then, I believe I like you too, Kylie Carter."
And right now, standing there with Nate amongst the twinkling stars just coming out, I felt I could believe anything at the moment.
Even that old Easton High jinx.
A/N: And thus is the end of my first one-shot! Woohoo! Yay! Review please?
-xXKirariXx